I'm wondering if I am extremely hard on waders or if all waders just are this short lived.

Here is the problem, Hodgmann canvas waders with boots where the boots are part of the wader. They have been through two seasons and have holes in the seat where the inseems meet and the other bad one is on the boot.

The hole in the crotch (sp?) is just from the wearing them and rubbing and I think I can fix it with a normal patch kit by glueing down more canvas. This hole is a slow seeper and only a problem if I plan on standing in water for long times.

The second hole is much worse and tricky. It is on the boot. I got it hopping over a barbed wire fence. The wire, not the barb, cut a horizontal line across the boot (which is rubber) just above the ankle on the front side. This is a tricky fix for two reasons, 1) it is a horizontal cut in an area that gets stretched vertically--like when you point your toes down, and it is always wanting to open back up when you walk 2) the cut falls right where there is a change in rubber thickness and what this amounts to is that there is an uneveness that I can't avoid, making it difficult to put a smooth patch over it.

Any suggestions would be helpful. I would like to avoid buying a new pair of waders for several years if I can help it.

"Ducksbeus" Wrote: Shoo Goo from Wally World
Sportsman's Goop as well! Blue tube. I actually repaired a pair of waders by replacing both boots, and using a tube on each pant-leg. A little Alabama Chrome (duct tape), and two weeks drying time with no leaks! Pete